15. Catawampus
Chapter 15
Catawampus
“What the hell happened here?” Reece directed his breathless demand at Shane, who leveled him with an assessing look. Reece was no lawman, but it didn’t take one to understand that the damage to Neve’s clinic wasn’t an accident. First clue: The door was missing.
Panting and pale, Neve rejoined them after her mad dash to the bushes.
Shane’s attention shifted to her, and he got out the next question on the tip of Reece’s tongue, beating him to the punch. “Hey, you okay?” His voice overflowed with concern.
Neve covered her mouth and shook her head. “Sorry, guys. Just a little motion sickness from the wild ride of the last twenty-four hours.” She straightened. “Shane, any clue what happened?” Shane flicked a skeptical side-eye Reece’s way. “It’s okay if Reece hears, so please give it to me straight. Did the weather do this? A four-legged animal? Or was it a two-legged one?”
Sympathy filled Shane’s expression as he turned his attention back to Neve. “Why don’t we step inside? Might be easier to show you.”
Reece curbed his urge to put a reassuring arm around her small shoulders. Instead, he dug around in his pockets, pulled out a piece of gum, and handed it to her. “Are you up for this?”
She popped the gum into her mouth and oh-so-slowly turned her head. She looked up at him, her mouth pinched and her eyes narrowed. “Of course I am. It’s my clinic.”
“I was just worried that—”
“Yes, Reece, I know,” she gusted out. “Stop asking me if I’m okay all the time. I’m a big girl with my own life, and I can handle setbacks far better than you give me credit for.”
Ouch! He felt that silent slap across his face, and it stung. He exchanged a surprised look with Shane before reminding himself that Neve was under a huge strain, and her life was farther along the shit spectrum than his at the moment. If she needed to lash out, he could take it.
She flung out an arm, which was when Reece noticed the rock he’d put on her finger was gone. Smart move . He’d slip his off later when Shane wasn’t staring at him.
“Let’s do this. Show me what you need to show me.” She followed Shane through the opening, carefully picking up her booted feet to clear the frame. Reece gave it a quick glance, making a mental list of materials he’d need to secure the door before stepping through after them.
Except for the shattered glass littering the stoop and floor, the reception area looked pristine. The real mess showed itself when they reached Neve’s pharmacy, where the glass had been smashed out of each cabinet. The only light came from windows in distant rooms, but despite the dimness, one couldn’t miss the chaos. Contents were strewn everywhere—on the shelves, the counter, the floor. Dark liquid dripped from several broken bottles.
The air was cold, permeated with a pungent medicinal odor so different from the usual light smell of disinfectant.
Reece reached for a light switch and paused. “Are we okay to turn on some lights? ”
Shane shook his head. “No. Still need to see if we can get any prints. Besides, whoever did this jacked with the electrical panel in back.”
Neve blinked. “You mean I don’t have electricity either?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Well, crap! That means I’m going to have to toss the samples and meds I keep in the fridge.”
“But it’s been cold,” Shane pointed out. “Doesn’t that preserve the integrity of your fridge’s contents? Besides, I’d be more concerned about freezing pipes right now.”
When Reece stole a glance at Neve, the muscles in her delicate jaw pulsed, as though she were grinding her back molars, and her cheekbones looked like a brush had swiped them with bright pink paint, a stark contrast to her ashen skin.
Her voice quavered. “My place is trashed.”
Reece peered over her shoulder at the contents of the bottles. “Maybe we should move out of here until we know if we’re dealing with anything toxic?”
She waved a hand. “We’re fine.”
Shane worked the brim of his hat in his hands as he stood beside her. “Did you ever install those cameras we talked about?”
“No, that was only a few weeks ago, and I had a few other priorities that ate up my time.” Reece could practically hear a steam whistle going off inside her head. “The other tiny hurdle was my bank account. There weren’t enough zeros to justify the cost. Besides, what good would they have done without any power?”
“Most systems don’t need electricity. So you did price them out?” Shane nudged, treading with obvious caution.
She jerked her head toward him. “No, Shane, I didn’t. Back to point number one about priorities.” Her voice was pure frost, but her eyes burned as though twin flamethrowers had ignited inside them. Neve was much shorter in stature than the deputy, but she made up for the height difference in her feisty spirit. It occurred to him she was way more woman than Leo Cantrell could handle, and a little happy dance threatened to break out in his chest over their breakup—a wholly inappropriate response, given the wreck they were dealing with. No lie, though, Reece was getting a kick out of fiery Neve—she was right up there on the pedestal beside brave Neve. Wisely, he chose to keep any hint of amusement to himself.
One of Shane’s eyebrows lifted, and she threw up her hands. Her expression morphed once more, sliding into pure dejection. “Don’t say it. Security should have come first. Cow’s out of the barn now.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You’re not the one responsible for the vandalism, and we’ll find whoever is.” Reece vaguely wondered if Shane’s promise was an empty one. The deputy paused before his next question. “I tried contacting Lauren, but she didn’t pick up. Know where she is?”
“She’s visiting family in Iowa.”
“Is everything copacetic between you two?”
“You think she did this?”
Shane glanced at the acoustic tile ceiling for a beat. “I have a theory that whoever did this intended to rob you, but they’re amateurs. They were also pissed off. From the looks of it, they jimmied the back door but actually came in through the front door by smashing the glass—then turned around and smashed it some more from the inside . Which makes no sense unless someone is mad because they couldn’t get through the back door, or they’re PO’ed at the clinic or you personally. Why else take the time to annihilate the glass, especially knowing they could get caught at any moment?
“So I need to know about anyone with a personal vendetta, any unhappy clients, a vendor you owe money, or a disgruntled employee. That’s why I asked if you and Lauren are on good terms.”
“As good as can be between boss and employee, but she’s not capable of this.” Neve gestured around herself. “In fact, she was a Nazi when it came to tracking the controlled meds.”
“Did you know she’s been seeing Jimmy Culbertson?”
This took Reece by surprise, and he blurted, “Cully, the drug addict Charlie fired ages ago?”
Shane gave him a slow nod.
Calculations seemed to move behind Neve’s wide eyes. “No, I did not know that. How long?”
“According to the grapevine, a couple of months. Might explain why Lauren was so tenacious about inventory. She could have been manipulating supply for her boyfriend. ”
Neve shook her head, as if she refused to believe it could be her assistant. “That doesn’t make sense. But leave it to Fall River to know all the dirty details about a person’s love life.” She shot Reece a knowing look before turning her attention back to Shane. “Any idea when this happened?”
“Someone reported it this morning. They drove by and noticed the glass smashed out of the front door. I’m guessing it was sometime last night.”
Neve took determined steps toward her office, leaving the men in her wake.
Spinning on his heel, Shane called after her. “Neve, wait—”
A wail cut through the air, and Reece sprinted toward the sound. Shane muttered something about not having warned Neve about her office.
When Reece reached her, she stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed beside her empty desk. No computer, no keyboard, no pens. Not even a paper clip. It looked as though someone had brought in a big broom and swept everything from the surface—and onto the floor, where objects lay in a mangled mess, including her prized stethoscope, the one she had proudly shown off at the Miners Tavern when she’d first opened her clinic.
Whoever did this hadn’t only taken out their rage on the clinic—they’d personally attacked Neve too.
She swallowed, the column of her neck working hard. “I can’t do this.” She wheeled in place and stormed out, and Reece hopped back a few steps to give her a wide berth.
He sent Shane a helpless look, who motioned for them to follow Neve. Back in the reception area, hands on hips, she faced a wall of shelves stocked with pet food, toys, and accessories. “So they destroy my pharmacy, wreak havoc in my office, but they leave my store alone. Who are these crazies? And why are they picking on me ?”
Shane continued in that soothing tone he and Reece had both practiced over the years. “Doc, I know this is hard, but I’m going to need you to leave until the lab folks can gather evidence. We don’t want to contaminate the scene.”
“How long will that take?” she bit.
“Probably a couple of days. We rely on Montrose County for this kind of work, and unfortunately, they’re really backed up. Once they’re done, I’ll need you to come back and go through the entire place and document everything that’s missing, damaged, or out of place.” He sent a silent plea Reece’s way.
Reece took his cue. “C’mon, Neve. Let’s go pick up your dog so you two can get home.” Neve appeared dazed, teetering on her bootheels, so he parked himself a little closer in order to catch her if another wave of nausea took her or she keeled over. “Shane, any chance I can come back as soon as I get the doc settled and drain the water to keep her pipes intact?”
“I already did that.”
Neve seemed to come to, as if waking up from a trance. “Is that kind of service normally in a sheriff’s playbook?”
Shane cracked a half-smile, the first since they’d arrived. “No, but it’s in my playbook. You’ve got enough to deal with as it is.” He laid his hand on her shoulder. “We’ve been friends a long time, Doc, and I care what happens to you.”
Something foreign and unpleasant spiked inside Reece—jealousy or possessiveness or some other emotion he didn’t recognize—throwing him off balance. He bit back the urge to tell Shane that he and Neve were married. That impulse was even more out of place than the flare of anger.
“Thanks.” Her reply came out in a small, defeated voice that tugged Reece in a wholly different way. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her off someplace safe, far from this scene that fractured her livelihood. Her spirit. Her life .
He opened her door, and as she climbed into her SUV, she looked up at him with clouds in her blue-gray eyes. “You don’t have to baby me, you know.”
“I know that, but I want to. So let me do this, okay?”
“I appreciate it.” A glimmer of a smile twitched her rosy mouth, and his heart ballooned inside his chest.
He followed her to Luanne’s house and pulled the cat carrier holding Mr. Whiskers from his back seat before joining her on the stoop, where her fist was poised to knock. The cat meowed, and Neve looked down. “What are you doing with him?”
“Well, since I can’t leave him at the apartment and your clinic is out, I thought I’d see if Cade wants him. After all, he found the damn thing and is always asking about him, so I thought, why not? This might be a good time to relinquish my fostering duties.” Especially since I won’t be able to take care of him much longer.
“Luanne’s allergic to cats, you know.”
His stomach took a plunge. “Well, shit. I need to go back to the drawing board.”
“Why can’t you keep him with you?”
“Uh, because I’m homeless right now?”
Neve lowered her hand and turned toward him. Her mouth did that thing where it moved side to side, a telltale that her brain was working overtime. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but why don’t you and Mr. Whiskers stay with me?” Her hand shot up. “Temporarily. Like, a few days, tops. I’ll spruce up the guest room, and you can sleep there. It’s only a queen, but if you sleep diagonally—”
His jaw firmed. “No.” A little voice hollered at him that he was an idiot not to accept. Sure, he could always stay at Shane’s, but his buddy lived in a one-bedroom with a couch that had more springs in it than a toy store full of Slinkys. Or he could stay at the Grand Majestic. Or the seedy motel on Fall River’s outskirts.
Yeah, no.
Neve smirked. “I guess the parents’ house it is, then.” The impish smile slid from her face, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh no! We’re supposed to go over there tomorrow for a belated Thanksgiving. What do we tell your folks? What if they find out what we did before we get there?”
He was on the verge of suggesting he stay with her after all—maybe he could help smooth out her world somehow—when the door flew open, revealing a grinning Luanne. “ What did you two do that makes it so Reece has to stay with you, Doc?” Her eyebrows traveled up and down her forehead. How much did she know?
Neve’s mouth thinned. “Nothing. Um, is Pearl ready to go?” On cue, the pit bull came tearing around a corner and nearly slipped on the hardwood floor when her claws couldn’t find purchase. When she reached Neve, she capered at her feet, her meatloaf-shaped body taking tiny leaps to reach Neve’s face. Neve dropped into a crouch and let the animal slather her chin. Reece stood back to take in the heartwarming scene, but Pearl broke off her greeting and made a beeline for him. When he bent down to pet her, Pearl danced around his legs.
Neve shot him a fake glare .
“What can I say?” he chuckled. “She’s an attention hound.”
“No, she’s smart,” Neve hmphed. “She knows you’re a sucker, and if she prances around you, you’ll give her extra pets.”
“What’s with the cat?” Luanne sneezed, spewing the word “cat.”
“Never mind. I’ll take him back to the truck,” Reece mumbled.
They loaded the dog and her stuff into her Tahoe, and she turned to him. “It’s been one hell of a time, hasn’t it? I’m sorry Luanne turned out to be a dead end.” She leaned against the door of her Tahoe and crossed her arms. “You sure you don’t want to crash at my place for a day or two? We’ve established Pearl likes you and wouldn’t mind having you around. And clearly, I’m not allergic to cats. Besides, you’d be helping me out by staying over. I’m … nervous about what I’ll find when I get there. I mean, if someone was as pissed as Shane says, what’s to keep them from trashing my house too?” She canted her head. “I promise we won’t have a repeat of this morning.”
“You mean I don’t get to wake up next to you naked? Damn. I might as well stay with Shane.” Her face transformed into a thundercloud. “Lighten up. That was a joke.”
“Not feeling it right now.”
“I get that.” Pearl stuffed her head through an opening Neve had left in the window, and he obliged the dog with a scratch. She gazed up at him with adoration pouring from her golden eyes. Why had Neve never looked at him like that?
Wait. What the hell am I saying? I don’t want Neve looking at me with hearts in her eyes.
Do I?
Neve unfolded her arms. “Look, Reece, much as I love shooting the breeze with you in fifteen-degree weather, I need to get home and rest up so I can face my life.”
“What are you going to do about your stethoscope?”
Her entire body deflated on an exhale, as if she had withered inside. “I have a backup. It’s crappy, but it’ll get me through until I can justify a replacement for my good one. Shouldn’t be a big deal since I can’t see patients right now with the clinic in its current condition anyway.”
“I’d like to accept your generous offer.”
She blinked. Twice .
“If it’s still on the table,” he quickly added. A fierce need to protect her had risen inside him the moment she admitted she was worried about going home. Did she need to know that? No. Intuition told him any vigilance on his part might make her stubborn little ass send him away.
“Okay, then.” With a quick bob of her head, she hopped into her SUV, and he followed behind her, thankful she hadn’t put up a fight.
Neve lived in the quieter part of town, one block from the ice rink, where it wasn’t unusual to see her skating alone over its rutted surface. He’d once asked her if she did that for the exercise and fresh air. With an extra dose of smug, she’d replied, “I’m practicing my strides to help my team skate circles around the boys and give them a good beating.” They both played rec league hockey, her on the ladies’ team—the Margaritas, salty and sweet—and him on the men’s team. His team had no formal name; they were simply “The Boys,” so named by the girls.
He pulled into her gravel driveway and parked. She had let Pearl out of the car and was headed for the front door, but she came to an abrupt standstill mere feet from it. Reece hustled after her and laid a hand on her shoulder. “If you want to give me the key, I’ll have a look-see first.”
“Pearl’s not acting weird, and nothing looks out of place.” Her protest was a meek one.
“And hopefully nothing is. Why don’t you get Mr. Whiskers out of my truck while I double-check?” As if Reece had prompted him, Mr. Whiskers let out a raspy meow. “See? He’s complaining about being stuck in the truck.”
Neve handed over her key and angled for his vehicle while he let himself inside. He’d set foot in her house a million times before, but he’d never really noticed it. The place was a typical 1893 miner’s bungalow that Charlie had fixed up, so while the floor plan was a little funky and the doorways too small for Reece’s frame, the place had a cozy feel with modern touches that blended in seamlessly.
After a thorough sweep, he looked around, taking in the art on the walls and the antique furniture. Eclectic . Though each piece was different from the next, they all reflected Neve and her love of animals and the wild San Juan Mountains—like the watercolor of the Lizard Head Wilderness hanging above a wooden sideboard with carved felines for legs. The words “comfortable” and “unique” rolled around in his head .
A plush navy couch dominated the living room beside an Old World fireplace, and Reece had a sudden urge to stretch out and nap, like someone had sprinkled sleeping dust in his eyes.
“Um, are we good to come in?”
Her voice from the front door caused him to spin in place. “Yeah, sorry. It doesn’t look like anything’s been disturbed.”
“Follow me. You’re in the guest room.” Neve sounded almost back to her regular self.
Reece took the cat carrier from her. “How does Pearl feel about cats?”
“She’s fine with them, but I’m not sure the cat will be fine with her.” She stuck a finger through the carrier’s grill and tickled the cat’s ear. “For now, let’s play it safe and leave him in your room. His whiskers are growing in nicely. It’s obvious you’re taking good care of him.”
“Did you ever find out where he came from or how he got injured?”
“No. We have his picture up on our website, but so far no takers—except Cade, and we know that won’t work.” She stepped into the guest bedroom and began clearing books and papers from the bedspread. Then she peeked under the covers. “Oops. I need to put some sheets on the bed.”
“It’s fine. Don’t go to any trouble on my account. I’ll just sleep on top of the quilt or grab a sleeping bag.”
Her hands went to her curvy hips. “Reece Hunnicutt, you’re not bivouacking on Red Mountain. You can sleep in an actual bed with actual sheets and blankets on it. Pillows too.”
“Fine, but making a bed is overrated. Why bother when all you do is mess it up again?”
“Is that why your loft bedroom looks so … lived in?”
His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I’m usually not such a slob, but I’ve been busy. If I’d known you were going to be in the apartment, I would have picked up a little more.”
He’d let himself slip into bad habits after living alone in temporary places where he never entertained guests. His nomadic lifestyle—one he’d never envisioned for himself—had led him to a who-cares mentality he wasn’t exactly proud of.
“I’m not judging, Reece. Now why don’t you go get your cat’s food and litter box and set him up in there?” She nodded toward a door that stood slightly ajar, revealing a white-tiled bathroom beyond .
He set the carrier on the floor, and Pearl trotted in and gave it a sniff. Meanwhile, Neve opened the closet and pulled down neatly folded sheets while he rolled back the spread. She snapped open the fitted sheet, and he grabbed one corner and secured it to the mattress. Her hands flew over the linens.
He glanced down at the band still on his finger. “Hey, uh, where did your ring go?”
“I didn’t want anyone else to see it, so I zipped it up in my pocket. Besides, it’s so big it was getting caught.” She flashed him a contrite smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. I mean, it really is beautiful, and it was very generous of you, but I shouldn’t be wearing it anyway.”
He should have ignored her comment, but the insult jabbed at him. “Why not?”
Before she could answer, her phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket, and dismay spread over her delicate features. “It’s Leo. I’m not ready to talk to him right now.”
“Then don’t.” Why the hell was he calling her anyway? They were done, finished. “Send him a picture of the ring. He’ll get the message and leave you alone.” A harshness laced his words he hadn’t intended, and he left to get the cat’s stuff squared away.
When he returned, she was bent over the bed, smoothing the sheets, as though trying to sweep away every last wrinkle. She shot him a quick glance. “Are you okay with fettuccine carbonara for Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going to start on dinner when we’re done here, but I don’t have the ingredients or the time for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Do you mind eating—”
“I’ll eat anything you make, but you don’t have to cook for me, Neve.” I didn’t even know she cooked!
She canted her head. “I know that, Reece. And I’m not only doing it for you. Cooking helps calm me down when I’m stressed out, so I’m also doing it for me. I simply wanted to know if I should prepare extra.”
They finished making the bed in silence, and he stole glances at the way she repeatedly straightened the linens, trying to line up the plaid patterns. When she got the lines as close as they’d go, she stood back and nodded.
OCD. Why did I not see that before ?
He was learning all kinds of details about this woman, and oddly, he found each one more fascinating than the last. It was as if a giant door had been thrown open onto the world of Doctor Neve Embry.
His mind wandered back to the accident scene—had that been only a few hours ago?—and his admiration climbed higher still. She’d needed no urging when she’d abandoned any thought of her own safety to help a stranger. Sure, he had too, but he was hardwired for it now; she wasn’t. On top of that, without any formal training, she’d gone on instinct and done everything right. Maybe her experience as a vet contributed to how she’d taken charge, maybe not. Either way, he’d been blown away by her calm demeanor. Her courage. Her strength. Her heart .
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Pivoting, she left the room and him alone with his thoughts.
He closed the door, let the cat out, and stretched out on the bed. Mr. Whiskers wasted no time kneading his chest, and a rumbling purr soon followed.
“We’re having a sleepover, dude—just for one night. And unfortunately, it’s not that kind of sleepover.” What possessed him to throw in the last part, he hadn’t a clue. And weirdly, despite the devastation of the day, the smell of Neve’s flowery fragrance wafted through his brain, reminding him of how good she’d smelled when he’d woken up beside her mere hours ago.
Too bad that was as close as he would get, which bothered him more in this moment than the thought of being hitched to her. He couldn’t hold back the inconvenient regret that bloomed inside of him.